Mobile search company 4INFO gets funding

San Mateo start-up 4INFO hasn’t been talked about much, but the mobile search service company has just snagged $8 million in funding from well-known Silicon Valley firms U.S. Venture Partners and Draper Fisher Jurvetson.

4INFO allows consumers to find free information — local directory, movie times, sports scores, stock quotes, weather, flight information and more.

Here’s how it works:
1) Enter your query as a text message (for example “Peet’s San Jose”)
2) Send the message to the shortcode number: 44636 (4INFO on a phone keypad)
3) Get your instant information back within 30 seconds (you’ll get addresses and phone numbers for all of Peet’s coffee houses in San Jose)

Here’s one review of the technology.

We haven’t played around with it enough, but we’re wondering how it will compare with the big guys already out there, including Google (see here)?

Tim Connors, the general partner of U.S. Venture Partners who has joined 4INFO’s board, is also an investor in Spoke, the Palo Alto online business contact company.